"Ready to Fly"

The man behind the counter smiled and said, "You are ready to fly".

He had checked my ID, my baggage, and my ticket and made the remark as he gave me a boarding pass.

He made the same cheerful remark to each passenger.

I had just left the South Datkota District ladies retreat where the Holy Ghost had been poured out in great measure for the needs of the women.

As the ladies responded to the presence of the Lord and made new commitments, I wondered if the Lord was not smiling and thinking as the young man, "You are ready to fly".

Four times in the Bible it is said, "The just shall live by faith."

Just as I had prepared for the flight, I must make sure that I prepare properly for my walk with God. Just as I had faith in the pilot's ability and in the plane, I must have faith in God and His Word. After having my sins washed away by the baptism in His name and being filled with his Spirit, I must walk by faith.

Many try to live by sight and not by faith. Faith leans heavy on the Lord. Faith knows the Word of God can be trusted and that we can live by it. Living by faith is simply taking God at His Word.

I had enough faith to believe that the Lord would forgive me of my sins and fill me with His Spirit. Now I must also commit my ways to Him and walk by faith.

Some people have a fear of flying. If we have fear in our hearts for any reason, we can know by the Word of God that it did not come from God; God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7).

Just as surely as the ticket agent recognized me as the person on my passport, the Lord will recognize me because the "foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his" (2 Timothy 2:19).

We have just stepped into a new millennium, and let us also step into a new dimension of faith by offering our lives to Christ and preparing for the words, "You are ready to fly".